Although Manormead is located in the Diocese of Guildford, it is governed by the Pensions Board. Before Christmas, The Bishop of Guildford, Andrew Watson, made a private pastoral visit to Manormead to meet with residents and staff.

The statement from the Pensions Board follows:

"The trustees of the Pensions Board are grateful to everyone who has contacted them about their decision to close Manormead Nursing Home, announced on 16 November 2016. Inevitably, all of those who have got in touch with us were saddened by the decision but many understood that, when they knew that the staffing situation would put the long-term safety of the residents at risk, the trustees of the charity had no other responsible option open to them.

"Some correspondents have asked why there was no consultation (whether with those directly affected, senior figures in the Church, or more widely) prior to the decision being made. In this situation, with the long-term safety of residents at risk, the trustees had no alternative but to close the home. As the trustees of an independent charity, it is their legal duty, and theirs alone, to keep the residents of the home safe, and therefore to act if they do not believe that they can continue to do that. It would have been entirely cynical to have undertaken a consultation with no possibility of it changing the decision. Furthermore, had the trustees sought views despite the fact that the decision was clear, the resulting delay may well have led to a further decline in staffing and an increased risk of a serious incident, and would have caused great and unnecessary uncertainty for the residents of the nursing home and their families.

"Since November, we have been working closely with the residents and their families. Half of the residents have now successfully chosen and moved to new homes. Where needed, we are providing them with financial assistance with future nursing and care fees, so some have chosen new homes with higher fee levels than ours, at no cost to them.

"We are continuing to support those yet to move and their families, making sure that each of the remaining residents can be safe and well cared for at another home of their choice."